South Korea's President Moon Jae-in. Phot: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, and other North Korean officials during a luncheon on Saturday in Pyeongchang, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Kim Yo Jong is believed to be the first member of the Kim dynasty to visit South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War, and the meeting underscores the effort by both countries to use the Olympics as a means to improve escalating tensions in the region.
Quick hits:
- Vice President Mike Pence will meet separately with Moon, but it is still unclear whether Pence will meet with any members of the North Korean delegation.
- A Pence aide told Axios' Mike Allen earlier this month that the VP will use every opportunity to remind the world of the oppression in North Korea.
- "We will not allow North Korea’s propaganda to hijack the messaging of the Olympics," the aide said.
- Timing: Thousands of North Korean soldiers marched through Kim Il Sung Square on Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of its military. According to the AP, Kim Jong Un told the crowd that the parade displayed North Korea’s might as a “global military power.”